


Day One and Beyond

by Dashboardjuliet (orphan_account)



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Everybody gets a piece of the slice of life pie, F/M, Fluff, Gen, Slice of Life, The whole dang cast will be included, after it all, pure sweet fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-26
Updated: 2015-06-13
Packaged: 2018-04-01 06:55:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4010167
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/Dashboardjuliet
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They say that everything starts somewhere, at day one.  Herah Adaar would rather the count start after Corypheus has been taken care of.  With the final battle behind her, Adaar is ready to face anything life can throw at her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Don't Look a Gift Horse in the Mouth

At 30 years old, Herah Adaar was forced to change the way she saw herself. Throughout the struggle against Corypheus, she had continued to see herself as the Tal-Vashoth mage chosen for a task she had never wanted to take on her shoulders. She accepted the many names they gave her, Herald, Your Worship, Inquisitor, Lady Adaar, adding them on to who she was, but never changing. She adapted who she was to suit the needs of the people looking to her for leadership, but she had never fully changed who she was. But now? Now, with Corypheus dead, peace restored and calm finally returning to Thedas? She was forced to change.

She was going to be a mother. Mother. She would be called mother.

She wasn't showing yet, but that hadn't stopped word from spreading easily. Somehow Sera had overheard, and the next thing she knew Varric was approaching her about names. She hadn't even had the chance to tell Bull, although she could hardly predict his reaction. Still, she would have liked him to hear it from her mouth directly, instead of picking up word from the grapevine. Sitting down on her bed, still ostentatiously large, Adaar let her hands fall into her lap before, with a huff, falling backwards onto the mattress. With her head facing upward, there was little for her to look at but the ceiling, but still her mind wandered. Perhaps a mobile would end up hanging from there, swirling in the air with sparkling little bobbles to distract the little one. Maybe there would even be a figure or two in the shape of a dragon, especially if Bull had any say in it.

Mother.

It had never been a title she thought she would receive. As a girl she had never dreamed of having children. It was too risky as a Tal-Vashoth. Children would make things slower, especially if forced to flee. She still wondered about what made her parents have her, but she never dared to ask. Children had never been in the picture for her, but faced with the situation, Adaar found herself almost... excited. Her hands drifted from their spot in her lap to her still flat stomach, pulling at the hem of her tunic to expose her skin. Slowly, her fingers ghosted over her gray skin, marveling at the invisible. She was pregnant. She couldn't say how long she lay there touching her stomach, but it had her full attention and the passing of time seemed unimportant in comparison.

So enraptured with touching her skin, she didn't hear the door to her quarters open and close, didn't hear the heavy footsteps up the flight of stairs, and certainly didn't notice the shadow that fell onto her bed. She only noticed when the mattress sunk underneath his weight, his hand coming up to stroke her silvery white hair. Adaar tilted her head back to look at him, staring at his upside down face with a blank expression.

"So when were you plannin on telling me?" Bull asked, tugging slightly on the broken stub of her horn, as if to scold her, but she knew by his voice alone that he wasn't mad with her.

"Well I had been planning on telling you over supper, but dear Sera had other plans." Her face scrunched up as she spoke, wrinkling her nose. Her plan had been to make a moment they would always remember. He would still probably remember, but she felt slightly robbed of seeing his first reaction.

"How do you think it would have gone?" She glanced over at him, slightly puzzled by his words. What did he expect her to say? Biting her full lip, she returned her gaze to the ceiling and thought before speaking.

"You would've come up for dinner, and I would've acted normal until halfway through the meal. I'd probably have said something silly, like 'we'll need a bigger table by this time next year' or something like that." Adaar paused, picturing it in her head, "and you would stop and just stare at me till you put all the pieces together. You would've stood, picked me up, swung me around and laughed."

After a few moments of silence, Adaar rolled herself over into her stomach and rested her head on her hands, watching his face carefully. Of course, she saw nothing that would give her a hint to what he was feeling. He had gotten somewhat better at sharing his emotions with her, but in moments where he was surprised, he seemed to resort back to hiding everything from her sight.

"How close did I get?" She asked carefully, speaking slowly. His eye turned from staring at the open space to her face and finally, finally, she saw something.

"Pretty good, Kadan. Pretty damn good."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everybody! Idk what this is supposed to be, or what it's going to end up being. I hope you enjoy! If you have any prompts or suggestions of what you want to see, send me a message on my tumblr, dashboardjuliet.tumblr.com


	2. Coming Clean

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Herah comes clean about a little secret of hers.

She waited until all her companions were asleep, the fire at the center of the camp dead, and the sound of snoring filling the air. She felt a small amount of guilt about leaving them alone, but knowing how close they were to Skyhold made her feel better. Gathering her towel and soap, Herah exited the camp as quietly as she could manage. It didn't take long before the sound of running water filled the air, not even a fifteen minute walk from the camp. Soon enough, she was brushing back scrubs to clear her way to the exposed hot spring, steam rolling off the surface of the water. 

The spring was the largest reason of why that had even decided to make camp instead of just walking the last leg of the journey home that night. Cassandra had mentioned the spring in passing, but at its mention Dorian had announced that a bath sounded lovely, and Sera had joined along in his suggestions claiming that this would finally be her chance to see the lady seeker bare. 

So they had stopped, and while Dorian and Sera had jumped off to the spring, Cassandra and herself had set up camp. When the pair returned, Cassandra left, although not before asking Herah to come along. Shaking her head, Herah had said she was fine. It had been a lie. She was tired of smelling like spider guts and the look of her skin covered in two weeks of grime. She was in dire need of a bath, but she wouldn't venture out to wash until everyone else had gone to sleep.

Grooming had always been something Herah never felt comfortable sharing with others. As a child, it hadn't bothered her as much. She would indulge and bathe with her mother, but that was the extent of it. She preferred to be in the silence of her own thought when she cleaned. It had only gotten worse as a teenager, to the point where she wouldn't even let her mother enter the room if she was bathing. It wasn't that she was modest, because she wasn't. She was proud of her looks. It had more to do with simply enjoying being alone.

It took some time to disrobe, undoing all the ties and sashes that held together the Inquisitor look she had to wear during outings. Despite being a Mage, she still wore the armor befitting of a rouge instead. Offering more protection than Mage robes had been the reason given when she asked why she was being required to wear armor. She undid the straps that held the leathers in place, letting them drop to the ground before slipping the undershirt over her head and kicking her pants off. Her small clothes were last, dropping down on top of the pile of clothing she had made. She shivered against the cool night air, hurrying into the water for relief. 

She couldn't hold back the hiss that escaped her mouth as she slid into the water, submerging herself up to her nose. Reaching behind her while underwater, she pulled the band holding her hair together and let it loose, the braid coming undone easily in the water. Her white hair spread out around her, floating on the surface of the water, moving along with its natural flow. Feeling the slight burn in her lungs from not breathing, she raised herself up and took a gulp of air, moving backwards as she did to settle herself on the natural ledge of the pool. She sat for a few moments, head craned up to look at the sky before stretching her arm out of the water to grab the soap bar she had left near her discarded clothes.

Scrubbing the bar with her hands till an acceptable amount of suds had been produced, Herah set about her ritual cleaning. Her arms came first, running the bar up along the length of them, closely watching as the grime that had been caked on her skin almost seemed to melt away with a few rough strokes. Her shoulders followed after, and then her chest. She worked her way down her body, cleaning every inch of her skin that she could reach on her own. Soon the water around her was covered in soap suds.

Her hair always came last. There was no real reason for why it came last, save that she enjoyed spending the most time cleaning her hair. As she held the bar up to lather her hands so she could clean her hair, her ear twitched as the sound of a twig breaking came to her. Wide eyed and startled Herah dove under the water, puffing her cheeks out to hold her breath. If it was a group of bandits, she would have to fight, and fighting without any clothing or armor on did not appeal to her. Hiding and hoping for the best seemed better. As the footsteps grew closer, she grew tenser, muscles coiling in case she needed to act.

"Adaar, what in Andrastate's name do you think you are doing?" Cassandra's voice was muffled underneath the water, but Herah could clearly hear the seeker addressing her. Slowly raising her head out of the water, she blushed and tried her hardest not to look her friend in the eyes.

"I am washing. What does it look like I am doing?" She said curtly, praying Cassandra would pick up on how uncomfortable she felt. Standing at the edge of the water with her arms crossed over her chest, the seeker made no movement, save for the raising of an eyebrow. Pouting, Herah tucked herself back in the water. "I know I shouldn't have come by myself. I just..."

"You just what, Herah? It is unsafe for you to go out on your own, no matter how close we are to Skyhold or not. You are the Inquisitor and we can't risk you." Herah knew the seeker was right, and the guilt she had felt earlier returned.

"I'm sorry, Cassandra. Truly, I am. I just... I just prefer to bathe by myself." 

"I will think about accepting your apology. For now, continue bathing. I will keep watch." Cassandra huffed, sitting herself down with her back facing Herah. Staring at the seeker, Herah made no move to continue washing. Having someone sit and watch out for her as she bathed was new, and although her ritual had been intruded upon, she didn't necessarily feel like it had been disrupted. Biting her lip, Herah debated on voicing the idea that had popped into her head. 

"Cassandra?" She said quietly, trying not to interrupt the silence that had fallen between them.

"Yes, Herah?"

"Would you be willing to help me... wash my hair? It's... a bit tricky to get around my horns by myself." She felt silly, a grown woman, asking her friend to help wash her hair. But she wouldn't deny that she trusted Cassandra enough to do the task. It had been something her mother had done for he before she developed her bathing ritual, and she sometimes missed the feeling of her fingers working through her hair. Cassandra reminded Herah of her mother in moments like that, where the silence was easy between them and they could just be. Perhaps it was one of the reasons as to why she felt comfortable with the seeker. 

There was a pause where nothing was said, and doubt filled Herah. Feeling silly, she opened her mouth to say never mind, but she was surprised by the seeker turning, already rolling her sleeves up. Snatching the bar from Herah's hand, Cassandra took the ends of Herah's hair and lathered them against the bar.

"If you had come with me when I had asked earlier, we could have avoided you sneaking off like a thief. I would have done this for you."

"I know. I'm sorry." Herah said, closing her eyes as she sunk lower into the water, the feeling of Cassandra's long calloused fingers working through her hair. She started at the ends, working her way up, creating a lather that coated her hair. Her horns were always tricky to work around but Cassandra seemed to do it effortlessly. 

"There is nothing to be sorry for." Cassandra said, the soft tone of her voice was one Herah almost never heard. She worked the soap to her scalp, running her fingers along the tough skin. She was careful around the horns, sweeping the hair away to wash it. Her fingers worked the soap around the base of her horns, making sure to get the small hairs that grew at the base. "Lean your head back." She said.

Herah did as she asked, reclining her head back so all her hair was submerged in the water. Cassandra reached further, rubbing and working the soap out of the silvery strands until all traces of the suds were gone. Retracting her hands, Cassandra shuck the water off of her skin. Herah sat back up, her hair sticking to her back in one sheet. Turning to face her friend, Herah offered up a soft smile.

"Thank you Cassandra."

"Think nothing of it. Are you done, or do you need to finish?" Cassandra asked, and as she spoke Herah took note of how relaxed and at ease her friend appeared. Shaking her head no, Herah watched as the seeker pushed herself off the ground and grabber the towel Herah had brought, holding it out to her as she turned her head to look away.

"Then let's return to camp, shall we?" 

Herah smiled as she exited the water, taking the towel from her outstretched hand and began drying herself off. She wrapped up her in the towel and dressed quickly, not bothering to don her armor. Standing at the seeker's side with leathers in hand, Herah nodded.

"Lead the way." Herah said, and followed Cassandra who left with a nod. They walked in silence for a few moments before Herah dared to speak again. "You know, you were quite good at washing my hair. You've done that before for someone haven't you?" The disgusted look on the seeker's face made Herah snort.

"So who was it? A sister, or maybe a lover perhaps? Would you tell me about them?" Herah asked.

Cassandra just scoffed, rolling her eyes.

Herah grinned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't even know man. It just came out. I bet Cassandra is a softie under all that hard exterior. Mark my words. As always, if you have a prompt or something you'd like to see, message me on my tumblr, dashboardjuliet.tumblr.com. Thanks!!!


	3. Mom and Pop

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Herah thinks about her mom and dad and Bull has some wise words.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> UPDATE: hey lovelies so change of plans for this fic. It's gonna be a baby fic because I'm a sucker. Besides that, I got carried away so you get two chapters today. Congratulations.

Her father had shown her how vitaar was made, and her mother had been the one to show her how it was applied. Sitting at her desk with ingredients spread around her, Herah tried to remember what she had been taught so long ago. She moved slowly, picking up the ingredients with hesitance. There were steps she needed to follow, ingredients needed to be added in the correct order. If only she could clearly remember what she had been taught. It seemed like ages had passed since she had seen her parents, and the process of making the vitaar was only serving to remind her of how long it had been. 

Herah had been prepared to do this in one sitting, but her mind was actively hindering that by distracting her with thoughts of her mother and father. No doubt they had heard of the Tal-Vashoth Inquisitor, and no doubt they knew her name. Leaning forward to rest her elbows on her desk, with her hands cupping her face, Herah tried to picture what they would look like now. How long had it been? Nine years since she had seen them? Or maybe it was closer to ten. They had probably begun to show their age, laughter lines and crows feet probably making their home on her mother's face. Her father's would be etched with worry lines across his forehead and his mouth downcast in a permanent scowl. 

She wondered if they were even alive. So many had been lost in the crossfire of Corypheus' path. Tears welled in her eyes as she thought of that outcome. But no, her parents had always been smart. At the first sign of unrest or danger, her father would have ushered mother and himself to someplace safe, someplace secluded and far away from the danger. He had always been good at taking care of them and making sure they were safe. Perhaps being an Ashaad had helped her father develop that particular skill. Maker knows her mother would rather try and talking things out instead of fleeing. Herah had no doubt that her mother being a former Tamassran had contributed to that fact.

It had been difficult for them to leave Qunandar, or so Herah assumed from the stories they had told her. That had been home, to the both of them, and to pick up and leave under the cover of night has been heartbreaking as her mother said. Her father hardly had anything to say about their leaving, but Herah knew he felt stronger than he let on. And on top of them leaving their home, they had had to deal with a baby on the way. Life had been so difficult for them, and to then have a baby on top of it all, she couldn't imagine what their lives had been like. Herah already had difficulty imagining what her life would look like with the addition of a little one. Glancing at her still flat stomach, she wondered what her parents reaction would be when, or if, they found out.

"What's got you so distracted?" A familiar voice asked from the sitting area near the fireplace. Jolting upward with a squeak, Herah stared at Bull's hulking form reclining on the love seat, confused. Swinging her head around to glance at the door, she opened her mouth to speak, but closed it again, puzzled.

"When did you get here?" She asked, raising an eyebrow as she spoke. His laugh echoed through her room.

"You know, you have this habit of spacing out. I got here a few minutes ago but you were somewhere else." He said, motioning with his fingers swirling around his head to signify she had been lost in her own thoughts. Pouting, Herah pushed herself out of the seat at her desk and made her way to sit next to him.

"Yes, it seems like it. You shouldn't take advantage of it thought. Announce yourself." She feigned annoyance at him, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Not my fault you can't pay attention to your surroundings. Besides, a surprise here and there is good for you." He moved to wrap his arms around her waist, dragging her so she was sitting in his lap, propped up against his chest. His hands rested naturally on her stomach as if he were already protecting the baby in side of her. Sticking her tongue out at him, Herah relaxed into his chest, enjoying the warm heat he naturally produced. "So what were you thinking about anyways? Must have been something important to have you so distracted."

"I was thinking about my parents." She said quietly, resting her head against his chest, her broken horn allowing her to have her ear directly touch his skin, letting her listen to his heartbeat. Under her touch, she could feel him stiffen for a moment before relaxing again. Her parents had never been a conversation topic between them. Earlier in their relationship they hadn't talked about it at all. He had still been Ben-Hassrath after all, and to talk about her Tal-Vashtoth parents that had held important positions in the Qunari society seemed... wrong. But he was no longer Ben-Hassrath, and the conversation needed to happen. She needed to talk about her parents, share them with him. 

"What are their names?" He asked quietly, obviously picking up on her hesitance to share with him. She was grateful he was able to start the conversation when she felt that she had no where to begin. Starting with names would be good. 

"Do you mean their roles, or their 'name' names?" 

"Both," he clarified, "or just their name names. It doesn't matter." But it did, she thought to herself. She knew he would be curious about the positions they had held, why they had left.

"Mother was a Tamassran. I don't actually know her 'name' but she had people call her Assran. I guess it was her way of simplifying things. Father was Ashaad, but when they left Qunandar he chose Ashtalan." 

"He chose 'To seek truth' as his name?" Bull questioned, confusion heavy in his voice. Herah nodded, understanding his confusion with the name.

"Believe me, mother never liked it. I think it was his way of providing a reason as to why they were leaving. I never fully understood why he chose it." She shrugged, turning her head so her chin rested on his chest, so she was able to look at his face. Slowly, she brought her hand up to cup his cheek, her thumb absently running over his cheekbone. "You remind me of him sometimes."

"That's exactly what I like to hear from my Kadan. That I remind her of her father." He snorted. Realizing how funny her words sounded, Herah snickered and buried her face in his chest.

"That isn't what I meant and you know it." She said into his skin, her words muffled.

"Yeah, sure it wasn't." He said and then paused. Herah peaked up at him, waiting. "Why don't you invite them here?" That hadn't been what she was expecting. Gazing past him over his shoulder, Herah thought on his suggestion. Why hadn't she written them? It was understandable why she hadn't during the fighting, but now that that was all over, there was nothing stopping her from contacting them. Nothing except her own fears. Swallowing, she didn't turn her gaze back to him.

"I haven't seen them in years Bull. It... It would be like meeting strangers." She said, her throat dry. It wouldn't be though. They were her parents, they would never be strangers to her. But she couldn't say the same about herself. Would she be a stranger to them? The worries crept into her mind. Would they even want to see her? What if the reason they had never reached out on their own was because they had no desire to see her? 

A quick tug on her broken horn, and then warm hands directing her face, pulled her from her thoughts. Bull was staring at her, his brows narrowed and a scowl on his lips. Of course he knew what she had been thinking on.

"Kadan," he said, his voice taking on a serious tone she normally only heard when he was in control. Widening her eyes, Herah stared back at him. "You are going to write your parents and invite them to Skyhold. And do you know what will happen then?" He asked. She shook her head and his grip tightened, holding her still. "Then they will show up at Skyhold because they are your parents and they love you, and you'll tell them how you need them to stay to be grandparents now. Got it?" Nodding her head, Herah swallowed back the lump that had formed in her throat.

"Good. Now, go find Leliana and have her send out a scout with a message." He ordered, pushing her off his lap. Standing, Herah gave him a small smile before she turned and left to do as he asked and what she actually wanted. Her parents would be coming to Skyhold.


	4. Home is Where Mom Is

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Herah's parents make an appearance. Bull, for how observant he is, can sometimes say the wrong thing.

A month seemed to pass by in no time, and Herah found herself nervously pacing the gates of Skyhold day after day, listening intently for the scouts call announcing travelers. It had been two weeks since receiving a letter in return from her parents, accepting the invitation that had been offered to them. The letter had been short and to the point, showing no signs of emotion. It had been her father's handwriting and she kept it in the drawer by her bedside. Nerves had been ever present since the letter had arrived. Realistically she knew they wouldn't arrive overnight, but that hadn't stopped her from keeping watch every day. Bull had been by her side almost constantly, leaning against the stone wall as she paced. His quiet company had been enough to keep her sane.

"This waiting is making me sick." Herah sighed, combing her fingers through the ends of her hair, stopping her pacing to lean against Bull, her face coming to rest at the hollow of his throat. She felt him chuckle as he moved to wrap his arms around her waist, holding her tightly against him. Picking up the hint, Herah wove her arms around his neck and hugged him. 

"You need to calm down Kadan. If I didn't know any better, I would say lets hit the bed and I could give you a few distractions. But that wouldn't fly with you right now would it?" He asked, and even though he had said he wouldn't, the question was still there for her to answer.

"No it wouldn't you gigantic ox." She scoffed, swatting him on the back of the head. Although it would certainly serve to distract her, Herah didn't like the idea of spending her time waiting for her parents by having sex with him. He opened his mouth to speak but before the words could come out, the scout's call was echoing through the courtyard. Wide eyed, Herah froze. "What's if it's them?" She whispered, her voice barely squeaking out of her mouth. "Bull I can't do this. Get me out of here, I can't see them."

"No can do Kadan." He said with a shake of his head. Herah swallowed as he turned her around, her feet stuck where she was standing. Two weeks of waiting finally over, and all she could do was picture all the terrible outcomes of what might play out when she finally saw her parents again. Bull's presence against her back only calmed her slightly. Her wide eyes betrayed her nerves as she watched the main gates pull open, soldiers drawing the wooden doors apart. She had expected only them, but the sight revealed to her stunned her. They weren't alone. Another two couples stood with them, and two children, all staring in the same wide eyed fashion that mirrored hers. Absently she wondered what a sight they must be seeing. Swallowing, she moved forward to greet them, her hand searching for Bull's. When she felt his warm skin on her own she calmed slightly and moved forward. 

Herah stopped in front of them, not knowing what to do except take in the sight of her parents. She didn't know what to make of the children and the other two pairs, but she would worry about them later. For the time being she only had eyes for her parents. They looked older, but she had expected that. Still it made her heart ache to see them look so aged. But underneath the wrinkling faces, she could still see her parents. Her mother's violet eyes still looked identical to hers, a reflection of the same wide eyed state she was giving them. Her father still had the stern look and heavy brow, but he looked tired and... relieved. Her mind went blank.

Stumbling for words, she made to greet them formally, but she was cut off by her mother colliding into her, her choked sobs the only sound she could make. Herah froze, her hand dropping from Bull's to wrap around her mother awkwardly, unsure of what to do. After a moment, she relaxed into her mother's body. Tucking her face into her mother's neck, her own tears finally flowed and she tightened her grip into her mother's traveling cloak, knotting the fabric in her fists. 

"My Herah," her mother sighed, pulling away slightly to take her in, observing every new detail that marked her face. Herah could only imagine how different she looked to her mother. Hiccuping, Herah tried to smile. Her mother smiled as well, leaning in to sprinkle her face with kisses. Closing her eyes, Herah her mother's touch, and only opened her eyes when she felt her father wrap them both in his arms, his head resting on top of Herah's. He had always been so tall and she was glad to see that hadn't disappeared over the years. "Oh look at her 'Talan. Look at our baby girl!" Blushing at her mother's gushing, Herah enjoyed feeling her father chuckle.

"I see her Tama." He said and Herah was pleased to hear him use his nickname for her mother. Burrowing her head into them, Herah forced herself to fight back the urge to just stay in their hold like she desperately wanted to. Stepping back slightly, Herah gave them a bright smile. In the back, she had noticed the pair of couples and the children had moved closer. They weren't familiar to her, so she assumed they must have just been other Tal-Vashoth had parents had stuck with. 

Turning her attention from them, Herah looked over her shoulder at Bull and motioned for him to come closer. There was so much she wanted to say to them, but there was one thing that was far more important than everything else. Her parents gaze followed her own, and quietly she heard her father snarl. If she had heard it, she was certain Bull had too. Her aim had been to avoid any confrontation between her father and whoever he could pick a fight with.

"Mama, Papa," she said, pulling their attention away from Bull and back to her. They both looked back at her, watching as Herah took Bull's hand in hers again. "This is my Kadan, The Iron Bull."

There was dead silence between them. Nerves fluttered in her stomach. Gaze darting back and forth between her parents faces, she wasn't aware that Bull had made to speak till his words hit her ears.

"Shanedan Assran and Ashtalan. Nice to finally meet the future grandparents."

Herah's eyes widened as she turned to gape at Bull, unable to speak. Her father growled and her mother gasped.

Herah felt like dying.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This and the previous chapter were supposed to be one but I got carried away so two chapters today! That's about it I think. Same as always guys. You have any requests or what you'd like to see, hit me up at dashboardjuliet.tumblr.com


End file.
